Dental treatments involve restorative and/or orthodontic procedures to improve the quality of life of a patient. For example, restorative procedures may be designed to implant a dental prosthesis (e.g., a crown, bridge, inlay, onlay, veneer, etc.) intraorally in a patient. Orthodontic procedures may include repositioning misaligned teeth and/or changing bite configurations for improved cosmetic appearance and/or dental function. Orthodontic repositioning can be accomplished, for example, by applying controlled forces to one or more teeth of a jaw of a patient over a period of time.
As an example, orthodontic repositioning may be provided through a dental process that uses positioning appliances for realigning teeth. Such appliances may utilize a shell of material having resilient properties, referred to as an “aligner,” that generally conforms to a patient's teeth but is slightly out of alignment with a current tooth configuration.
Placement of such an appliance over the teeth may provide controlled forces in specific locations to gradually move the teeth into a new configuration. Repetition of this process with successive appliances in progressive configurations can move the teeth through a series of intermediate arrangements to a final desired arrangement. Appliances can also be used for other dental conditions, such as application of medications, appliances to help with sleep apnea, and other issues.
Attachments may be affixed to the one or more teeth of the patient (typically with an adhesive material, such as an attachment composite material) or directly cured to the tooth. These attachments interact with surfaces on the appliance to impart forces on one or more teeth.
Such systems typically utilize a set of appliances that can be used serially such that, as the teeth move, a new appliance from the set can be implemented to further move the teeth without having to take a new impression of the patient's teeth at every increment of tooth movement in order to make each successive appliance. The same attachments may be utilized with successive appliances or attachments may be added, removed, or replaced with other attachment shapes that may impart different force characteristics than a previous appliance and attachment combination (i.e., appliance and one or more attachments).
Currently, a treatment professional (e.g., a doctor or assistant) applies etch material to a location on a tooth at which a dental attachment is to be place on a tooth to prepare the location for the securing of the attachment thereon. Once the location on the tooth is etched, the dental attachment can be placed at the location of the etch on the tooth and attached, for example, via a bonding agent (e.g., an attachment composite).
The application of etch material to the location on the tooth is done by hand by the treatment professional and, therefore, is subject to user error. For instance, too much etch material may be applied to the tooth surface, resulting in more area on the tooth being etched than is necessary to attach the dental attachment. As a result, the bonding agent used to attach the dental attachment can adhere to more surface area on the tooth than is necessary for attaching the dental attachment. Therefore, a treatment professional may need to remove the excess bonding agent from the tooth surface, resulting in longer treatment times for the patient and excess work for the treatment professional. This can lead to a longer office visit for the patient, which can be more costly and more inconvenient to the patient.